Guide to Buenos Aires

Guide Contents

ArgentinaArgentina's hedonistic capital has been reinventing itself since the 19th century, blurring the distinctions between night and day, past and future, Europe and Latin America. The city has a buzz all of its own, derived from its heady juxtaposition of faded, dusty elegance and edgy, flash modernity. The city and its people keep on dressing up, staying out late and looking good.

1555 Malabia House

Despite the clumsy name, this smartly converted 19th-century
convent is pretty slick and is one of very few options if you want
to stay in Palermo Viejo instead of the downtown area. The boutique
style B&B with simple bedrooms is family-owned, making the
atmosphere very familiar and friendly. The breakfasts are big,
bountiful and American, but if you want to explore, the hotel is
close to Buenos Aires' most happening barrio, characterised by
cobbled streets and residents chatting on their doorstops, but also
for excellent bars, restaurants and designer clothes shops. Price rating: 3/5

Alvear Palace Hotel

The Alvear Palace Hotel is located on Avenida Alvear, the city's
smartest residential and shopping corridor, within walking distance
of Palermo's Parque Tres de Febrero. It's imposing and established:
built in 1932 with a grand Parisian façade and furnished with Louis
XVI-style pieces and crystal chandeliers. The adjoining shopping
arcade is the place to find Bully cashmere and Santesteban
footwear. Expect wealthy Americans pit-stopping on cruise
itineraries; elegant Brazilians; celebrities including Sharon
Stone, Shaquille O'Neal and Karl Lagerfeld. Standard rooms are very
snug, but all have marble bathrooms and French antiques; the
palatial new Alvear Suite comes with personalised mobile phones and
prime Avenida views. From the upper floors, you can see Recoleta's
patchwork of plazas and parks, the river and (just about)
Uruguay. La Bourgogne restaurant is an oasis of modernity
within the hotel's ornateness. Chef Jean-Paul Bondoux serves Gallic
classics: venison noisette, Muscat-cooked pheasant, and steaks
prepared table-side. Try Afternoon tea and Champagne in L'Orangerie
with the city's old-money elite and flash, new-money
Brazilians. Price rating: 5/5

Art Hotel

Ritzy Recoleta, Buenos Aires's equivalent of Mayfair, is hardly a place for bargain-hunting. Yet Art Hotel, set two blocks from stylish Avenida Santa Fé and a short stroll from Evita Peron's last resting place, represents astonishingly good value. The sturdy, six-floor edifice, erected in 1927 for well-to-do immigrant families, reopened in 2004 as a hotel dedicated to modern Argentine art. Displays in the gallery change monthly; a single work (which is available for purchase) hangs in each of the 36 rooms. Much of the original interior has been lost to refurbishment but door frames, mantelpieces and mosaic floors remain. Thirteen rooms are honestly described as 'small and cosy', but exposed–brick ceilings and handsome wicker-and-iron furniture help make up for a shortage of space. Tango lessons are available, and all guests have access to a rooftop terrace with open-air Jacuzzi. Book rooms 12, 22, 32 and 42 for their four-poster beds and street-facing balconies. ££ Price rating: 0/5

Bo Bo Hotel & Restaurant

Set amid the cobble-stoned streets and ivy-covered houses where
Jorge Luis Borges once took his daily constitutional, Bo Bo Hotel
& Restaurant is a radiant addition to Palermo Viejo, Buenos
Aires's newly gentrified fashion and design district. The former
two-storey townhouse, built in the 1920s in Spanish colonial style,
sits on a quiet block dappled by sunlight filtered through a
magnificent canopy of tipa trees. The current owners added a third
floor and lift, dividing the interior into just seven ample rooms,
each suffused with natural light and equipped with a queen-sized
bird. The hotel aims to be bourgeois yet bohemian: hence the name.
In the Pop room the red and white plastic fittings were inspired by
Warhol; the barren whites of the Minimalist room are broken only by
sparse black bands; the Techno room merges brushed steel and grey
tiles with burgundy bed linen. The popular ground-floor restaurant
serves contemporary Argentinian dishes in generous proportions. Price rating: 2/5

Costa Petit Hotel

Aimed at high-budget, low-profile travellers with impeccable
taste, Costa Petit has two bedrooms and two suites decorated with
velvet, restored-wood furniture and rustic wall panelling. The
hotel's owners, cabinetmaker Diego Padilla and interior designer
Eugenia Choren, salvaged 19th-century lamps, wicker sofas, club
chairs and aged pinotea-wood ceilings from architectural demolition
sales. Space is too limited for a restaurant, but guests can order
take-away sushi or pizza via the front desk, or stroll mere metres
to dozens of cutting-edge Palermo restaurants. A sumptuous in-room
breakfast is served, and the staff can organise anything from yoga
or polo practice to yachting on the Río de la Plata. Additional
touches include own-blend Inés Berton tea, a four-option pillow
menu and a weather forecast delivered to the room each night. Price rating: 3/5

Five Cool Rooms

A discreet front door between fashionable clothes shops opens into another Palermo gem, a former labourers' boarding house extensively remodelled in 2005 by owner Adriana Teplixke and her architect friends. The result resembles a designer's studio, with wooden flooring, irregular shelving and sliding floor-to-ceiling windows. A large internal patio is divided by screens of bamboo, papyrus and a cluster of Lombardy poplars; a second patio has a hammock for napping on sunny afternoons. Five's name is misleading, as the hotel actually has 16 rooms, graded Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large. Unsurprisingly, space is extremely limited in Small, but the lustrous interiors make up for the shortfall in dimensions. Medium rooms have street-facing balconies; Large simply means what it says; Extra Large has a private terrace. Five's best asset is its 44-square-metre roof terrace, with lava tiles to protect bare feet in the summer heat. It has sun loungers, a Jacuzzi and views of ivy-festooned gardens nearby. ££ Price rating: 0/5

Four Seasons Hotel

As well as 138 standard rooms, many of which have views of the
Rio de la Plata or city centre, this hotel has 27 suites, many in
an adjacent early 20th-century chateau. Despite looming over
avenida 9 de Julio, which is essentially an inner-city motorway,
the hotel filters out any traffic noise, making it ideal for
meetings or private lunches. Le Mistral is one of the city's best
Mediterannean-themed restaurants, and Le Dôme bar serves great
cocktails. This historic hotel is halfway through an
ambitious, £25-million makeover: it now has contemporary local art,
the polo-inspired Pony Line lounge and a mod-Argentine restaurant
called Elena.

Price rating: 5/5

Hilton Buenos Aires

This functional, glass-and-chrome cube has a bright, airy lobby and the best conference rooms in town. Located within walking distance of the Costanera Sur nature reserve, in the happening, constantly mutating neighbourhood of Madero Este, this 418 room hotel boasts corner deluxe rooms which have views either of the Rio de la Plata or the low rise dockside with the city beyond. El Faro restaurant specialises in Patagonian lamb and venison, and local fish such as dorado and pejerry. Price rating: 3/5

Home Hotel

Home is aimed unashamedly at late-night party-goers. Opened in
December 2005 by London music producer Tom Rixton, the 17-bed
property is bathed by night in hallucinogenic shades of apple-green
and lemon. Its modern, Spartan interior, warmed by touches of 1960s
retro, is focused on a bar with an impressive vodka selection and a
lush garden surrounding a sizeable pool. The rooms, enlivened with
vintage French wallpaper, are fitted with queen-sized beds (the
three suites have king-sized beds plus Jacuzzi and balcony), and
great mod-cons. A fern-draped spa in the basement offers treatments
to alleviate jet lag, stress or the inevitable hangover. Book the
separate Garden Suite for its private roof terrace overlooking the
pool and garden. Price rating: 3/5

Moreno Hotel Buenos Aires

In 1920, the Argentine publisher Editorial Kapelusz commissioned
Hungarian architect Johannes Kronfuss to design its headquarters.
Krofuss's dramatic, Art Deco edifice was declared a listed building
- but by the late 1990s it had fallen into ruin. In 2006, local
developers began to convert the building into a 39-room,
design-minded hotel. Kronfuss's fluted-stone exterior scales seven
floors, its entrance hall is dramatically tiled in shades of
turquoise and sunflower, and a venerable, concertina-gated elevator
still clunks delightfully past stained-glass wall panels. Rooms
vary greatly in size, but all have soaring, four-metre-high
ceilings and abundant natural light from expansive, iron-framed
windows. Acrylic-and-wood furniture in the Art Deco style,
upholstered in sea-green, is set off by white drapes, interior-lit,
opaque-glass cupboards, and paintwork in chocolate, burgundy and
ultramarine. Price rating: 3/5

Nuss Buenos Aires Soho

Carved out of the carcass of a 1930s convent on a leafy street,
Nuss is surrounded by some of the finest bars, restaurants, shops
and art galleries in Buenos Aires. The 22 rooms, around a central
courtyard, are decorated in a pleasingly understated way by local
interior designer Sofía Camps, all with plasma-screen TVs,
'feature' wallpaper, leather-bound desks and amusing contemporary
lamps. The ground floor is given over to shops (as yet unoccupied
on our visit), the hotel reception and the deli, where pastry chef
Inès Maciel works her magic at breakfast, and where tea, coffee,
wine and snacks are served all day. Palermo Soho is a lively
quarter, particularly at weekends, but all the windows are
double-glazed; and there is much to be said for feeling part of the
action, best viewed from the roof terrace, where there are
loungers, a plunge pool and plans for a guests-only bar. Price rating: 3/5

Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt

Avenida Alvear 1661, Recoleta, Buenos Aires(00 54 11 5171 1234)

Palacio Duhau makes its closest competitors (including even the
beloved Alvear Palace Hotel) look dowdy. The palacio itself, a
Beaux Arts mansion, has been converted into a glorious lobby and
restaurant (with a few large suites upstairs); the rest of the
rooms are in a new limestone tower on the other side of the
palacio's spectacular terraced garden. To connect the two buildings
without disturbing the garden, the designers created an underground
gallery and lined it with a fabulous collection of Latin American
art. The rooms are masterpieces of understated luxury with blond
wood and sheer fabrics, as are the three restaurants, where prices
(this being Argentina) are low by international standards. The Ahin
Spa, also under the garden, contains a 25-metre swimming pool so
gorgeous you'll want to float all day. Price rating: 5/5

Sofitel Buenos Aires

This listed Art Deco belle époque hotel was revamped and
reopened in 2002 and is situated on one of the city's famous 'half
moon' streets, near just about everything worth visiting in Buenos
Aires. For those who prefer to stay inside the hotel, there is a
gloriously ornate lobby, a Second Empire bar and a library, where
you can settle in with a book and an unforgettable cocktail. And as
well as grand public spaces, this hotel also houses one of Buenos
Aires' finest restaurants, Le Sud, famous for its traditional
French cuisine combined with the best seasonal Argentinean
ingredients. Price rating: 3/5

The Cocker

The Cocker, a five-room guesthouse, is a case study in urban rescue. Britons Ian Spink and Aidan Pass snapped up a grandiose but run-down mansion, restoring its pinotea-wood floors, hand-made, wrought-iron window frames and soaring ceilings with fastidious attention to detail. Renovated antique chairs, sofas, beds and even a Chappell grand piano are displayed with theatrical flourishes in five idiosyncratic rooms: in one, old balustrades now frame a king-size bed, in another a four-poster supports a 'floating' bathroom, and cushions, drapes and metres of muslin transform hidden nooks into intimate dens. The twisting corridors and spiral staircases invite exploration, opening finally to a honeysuckle-draped terrace garden and a commanding rooftop pergola. Book Room 19-03 for its four-poster bed and jasmine-lined terrace. Price rating: 2/5

Faena Hotel and Universe

Martha Salotti 445, San Telmo, Buenos Aires(00 54 11 4010 9000)

This Faena Hotel and Universe is located in the
redeveloped Puerto Madero district - an area of convertedcentury-old warehouses and new-build office
towers fronting the Río de la Plata. A red-brick former mill dating
back to 1902, transformed by Philippe Starck into a louche-luxe
hangout mixing surreal details (unicorn heads, a huge crown in the
pool) with the original cathedral-like ceilings and towering
chimneys. A young, glamorous crowd makes the most of the all-in-one
hotel/restaurant/gallery/nightspot set-up; also loved by pop
royalty - Lady Gaga visited recently. There are 89 bedrooms in
various styles and layouts, with tropical hardwood floors, marble
bathrooms and red velvet curtains. Bigger suites have balconies and
white-and-gold Starck furniture. There's a buzzy pool bar, cabaret
and two restaurants: El Bistro for Euro-influenced dishes; the
morerustic but very cool El Mercado for empanadas and
hearty asado (firepit-grilled meats). 'Experience
managers' can arrange everything from tango lessons to tickets for
polo matches. Faena Hotel & Universe featured in The Gold
List 2007 and Gold List 2011. Price rating: 5/5

Alogodon Mansion

(00 54 11 3530 7777)

Alogodon Mansion sits on a prime street in Recoleta, close to
the French and Brazilian embassies, smart restaurants such as
traditional Argentine Cumaná, and Eva Perón's last resting place.
It's a six-storey villa built in 1912 and restored in 2010 by
German architect (and polo fan) Gerhard Heusch, who has kept
all the low-key original details such as beautiful Slovenian oak
parquet and marble floors. Surprisingly businesslike for such a
lavish hotel, with plenty of suited power breakfasts being held in
the clubby ground-floor restaurant. It has 10 massive suites with
ebony floors, silk curtains, suede walls, slick furniture from
Cappellini and B&B Italia, and bathrooms lined in French
limestone and Calacatta marble. Chez Nous serves straightforward
Argentine dishes such as seared sea scallops and thick steaks, all
matched by wines from the owner's Mendoza vineyard. The tiny,
light-filled spa, with signature treatments including the fruity,
exfoliating Blueberry Peel. There's a small teak-decked swimming
pool, but no gym (guests have the use of a nearby sports
club). Price rating: 5/5

Hub Porteno

Rodríguez Peña 1967, Buenos Aires(00 54 11 4815 6100)

Hub Porteno is located on a quiet side street in
smart Recoleta, just offboutique-linedAvenida Alvear and surrounded bybelle époqueand Beaux Arts buildings such as the historic Jockey Club and
Palacio Duhau. An ultra-discreet hideaway, with a sign-less, plain
façade, in a converted1940s townhousenow filled with mostly hand-crafted, Argentine-made
furnishings, from leather patchwork carpets to lapacho-wood
floorboards. Theculturally curiousflock
here, eager to try one of the authentic Argentine experiences on
offer, from classic tango and polo to buzzy dining and contemporary
art. There are 11 large suites with antiques from local auction
houses andArgentine artfrom the owner's
personal collection. Minibars are stocked with local goodies, from
wine todulce de lechesweets. Ferran
Adrià-trained Dante Liporace heads the kitchen at Tarquino, with a
focus on modern Argentine dishes such ashare-stuffed
Patagonian raviolifollowed bychurrosin chocolate foam. There's an elegantly landscaped rooftop
lounge, but itdoesn't have a pool.Book
aHub Porteño experienceand everything -
meals, transport, international phone calls - is
included. Price rating: 5/5

The Clubhouse

(00 54 11 4832 5276)

The Clubhouse is a renovated, four-storey
townhouse in the heart ofPalermo Soho,
an increasingly popular boho neighbourhood, close to boutiques such
as Bolivia, and the bistro-like Las Pizarras restaurant. Set behind
anunmarked façade, this is a very
private complex of salons and sitting rooms with exposed beams and
polished concrete floors. The art includes original Warhols and
photos by local lensman Diego Ortiz Mugica. Amere
threeguest rooms: smallish The Cuarto, next
to the garden; suite-like The Upstairs; and The Master
- sprawling, with its own terrace and double rainfall shower.
Drinks here are free-flowing, but The Clubhouse lacks a proper
restaurant. There's a small menu of simple staples (hearty burgers;
healthy salmon wraps) for all-day snacking. The best thing about
this hotel is the outdoor pool, the focus of Sunday-afternoon
parties where opera stars might mingle with off-duty chefs. There's
no concierge, so you're pretty much on your own. And those pool
parties can get noisy. Price rating: 2/5

Leave us a comment on this story

I just came back from Buenos Aires - it was fantastic! They do not mention on here that you can book an apartment for USD200 a week upwards, I chose www.buenosairesstay.com, they are Brits and they are very professional check out their site.

Trish13 Nov 2010

Am in BA now, such a great destination, agree about Tortoni. We're staying in San Telmo in an apartment rented through bytargentina.com. 3rd year we've done this around Easter, great way to get to know the city. Some lovely small boutiques and art/textile galleries in Palermo and good to eat out late and people watch. The city and people keep calling us back.

Rachel23 Apr 2011

I picked up your tip about apartments and Buenos Aires Stay - they are simply fantastic and really save you lots of bucks over a very average hotel stay!! www.buenosairesstay.com

Roger Phelps14 Jun 2011

Try the ArtFactoryHostel in San Telmo http://www.artfactoryba.com.ar/es/index.html
nice relaxed atmosphere!

Becky23 Jun 2011

I found Buenos Aires Stay by mistake after a lousy time at a so-called boutique hotel. I left Buenos Aires some time back promising to write about their services and found this article and recommendations via Google. I had a terrible time my first couple of days in Buenos Aires until I found www.bastay.com. The are based in BA , they are Brits with an honory yank manager and they are very professional. See my blog www.Charlie-Maddisons-Travels.net for more information.

Charlie Maddison03 Aug 2011

I'm currently in BA, loving every moment of it. I'm staying in Palermo hollywood, a relaxing and hip area with plenty of great cafes, unique boutiques and the heart of nightlife in palermo soho. I love where I am staying not only do they have vegetarian good, organic shops which are hard to find, but also many convenient by bus and taxi isn't expensive here. Definitely visit beyond the city. Tigre and colonia in uruguay are not too far and are very worth while. I can't wait to come back and explore more of Argentina!

Cat02 Apr 2012

Not sure how this fantastic resource for Recoleta Cemetery was missed: www.recoletacemetery.com The AfterLife blog has over 500 posts dedicated to the history & inhabitants of the oldest (& most chic) public cemetery in Buenos Aires. So much more than just the burial place of Eva Perón!

Robert Wright03 Aug 2013

I recently stayed at Moreno Buenos Aires. However my
stay was plagued by ants on my bed and a long lasting black out.

Torsten28 Dec 2013

Want something exotic.... Go to Krakow Cafe-Bar, San Telmo, Venezuela 474, a Euro bar with Polish flavor and a throng of locals just loving it for the food and the artisanal taps

shane07 Mar 2014

We ate at several of these restaurants during our stay and had mixed results. Don Julio was incredible as was the fish at Osaka. We were quite disappointed in both the food and service at Olsen. Our favorite dining experience in Buenos Aires ended up being our food tour with Parrilla Tour BA, where we visited several local restaurants not frequented by tourists.